A Chance To Be New
by ProfessorWaluigi
Summary: After the events of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Guzma is troubled. He's helped save two kids and a mom from Team Rainbow Rocket, sure, but what is he to make of his life? For once, Guzma swallows his pride and asks old Hala to help him turn his life around the right way... Will he fail and live miserably... or might he just succeed? Skullshipping/Guzmeria, rated T for bad language.
1. Chapter 1

A Chance to Be New

Chapter 1: What happens now?

Guzma gave a deep, long sigh as he downed yet another bottle of beer before chucking it in the garbage can, groaning after he did. He was fucked up, but not just from in a literal sense from the alcohol. It was only a few weeks ago…

" _Boss? Waddya mean you're disbandin' Team Skull, yo?"_

" _I told ya grunts… I'm more than done with all 'a this. All the fucked up shit we did just to get on the Alola region's nerves… Everybody hates us now. I kinda liked that at first, but I'm ruining any chance you fellas got at a decent, honest livin'! I realise that now. I used ya more than that bitch Lusamine used me. Now, outta my sight. Team Skull's done."_

 _Guzma turned his back to his grunts, Plumeria giving a shrug. She knew this decision was final, and she could understand why. Guzma had told her the same things a few times over, and she knew how guilty he felt of "ruining" these young kids… To her, it didn't feel like that at all… She remembered the grunts dressing out of their Skull Uniforms only to come back dressed like Punk Guys/Girls, as that was the only way they could dress considering their clothing options and hair colors. They all did the Skull Grunt pose one final time before exiting the Shady House and eventually, Po Town. Guzma remembered turning to her and going:_

" _Good luck, Plums. I'm outta here… I need to think for a long, long time." He walked out fast._

Guzma groaned yet again… He felt like he was setting a new record for irritated groans. Why was he so insistent on making these shitty decisions? He needed to get out of here. His mom still loved him, sure… But living in his parents' house could only last so long before his dad would snap at him. Guzma huffed. Why he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and destroy anything or anyone he didn't like at first was also a question that ran through his head.

"I'm such a fucking hypocrite…" He thought to himself. He lazily checked his golden watch.

"4 AM… What a surprise, I can't sleep." He whispered sarcastically, closing his eyes and trying to at least rest a little. He tried to think of some pleasant thoughts. He smiled a little as he remembered one of his most treasured times in life. It happened when he was still on good terms with Kukui, when they both were 8 years old…

" _Welcome to route 8, kids! This will be our final stop of our Akala island tour, so if you want to catch a Pokémon here, do it quickly!" The teacher reminded the children. The school trip to Akala had left Guzma unimpressed, personally. The kid had trouble deciding what would be his first Pokémon, everybody had a favorite type. Water, Grass, Fire and even Ghost were all types everybody liked. Guzma wanted something more unique, though. He heard a bark behind him as his good friend Kukui's Rockruff ran up to him, licking his hand._

" _Guzma, why don't you just catch a Rockruff too? It's super easy to train!" Kukui ran up to him, grinning. Guzma rolled his eyes._

" _Kukui, don't get me wrong: Rockruff's cute and all, but I want something a little more unique, you know? A Pokémon hardly anybody knows… Maybe it's weak, but it's got great potential probably!" Guzma exclaimed._

" _Hmm, I see your point. Maybe the coast?" Kukui suggested, looking over._

" _Nah, nothing there. And I don't wanna fish up a Wishiwashi by accident, I'd fall in." Guzma grinned before looking at another part of the coast and almost screaming._

" _Kukui, look! Over there!"_

" _Hmm?" The two boys overlooked the part of the coast. There, a tiny looking, isopod-like Pokémon sat… The poor thing looked weak, it was sadly chowing down on what seemed to be a rotten carcass of a Bruxish._

" _I've never seen that Pokémon before… Do you want it?" Kukui asked._

" _Yeah, dude! Look, it's so cute!" Guzma exclaimed._

" _Well, throw your Quick Ball, dude!" Kukui encouraged his friend before noticing Guzma walk closer to the coast._

" _What are you doing?"_

" _Kukui… I kinda wanna ask that little guy if he wants to be on my team before I try 'n catch him."_

" _Are you crazy! He might attack you or flee…"_

 _Guzma didn't listen and carefully approached the tiny Pokémon, it looked up. It met a surprisingly gentle pair of grey eyes._

" _Hey, little guy… I'm not gonna hurt ya…. What's your name?" Guzma asked softly._

" _Wimpod!" The insect replied._

" _Aww… That's a cute name. Wimpod, I think you're very special. I wanna find out your hidden potential… Like a Trial Captain! Wanna join my team?" Wimpod made a cat-like purring noise, nodding eagerly. Guzma caught Wimpod easily before letting it sit on his shoulder, playing and cuddling with it all day before they returned to Melemele Island._

Guzma's smile widened. No matter how many times he replayed that memory in his head, it would never get old. He got off of the bed, walking outside of his parents' house and letting out his first partner. Or, as he would've said it a few weeks back: "The OG, the homie" or whatever term he liked to say. Golisopod greeted Guzma with a low growl, pulling his trainer close with his 6 arms.

"Whoa, buddy." Guzma chuckled and hugged him back.

"There, there. Ya big softie." He said and tickled Golisopod's little mustache. Golisopod let go of him and tilted his head, looking at his Trainer's face.

"Golisopod, remember when you just turned into what you are now and we took that opportunity to flee? I think it's time I started to change my life around, buddy."

Guzma watched as the enormous bug didn't seem to fully understand what he was saying, scratching his forehead.

"What I'm sayin' is that I need to seek out some help to get me on the right path… No doubt everybody on Team Skull is doing that as well. I gotta do something memorable, and I won't just be known as a guy with a gang."

Guzma declared. Golisopod grumbled something in response.

"Yeah, I know I'd normally do it myself, and I think I could… But I just need a little help in **how** I should do it, you get me?"

"Golisopod." The bug nodded. Guzma thought for a few seconds. He needed to carefully consider his options: after all, last time he had trusted someone to be his superior, he ended up being used and persuaded by false flattery… Oh well. At least she wasn't _fully_ insane and apologized for it. He was honestly surprised at himself for helping out those little brats save Lusamine.

"Golisopod?" His favorite Pokémon grumbled.

"Hala? What, you think that old man doesn't hate my guts at this point, buddy?" Guzma raised his eyebrow. Golisopod eagerly nodded at that question.

"Hmm… I guess it's not a **bad** theory… Yeah, know what? First thing tomorrow, I'll head over to Iki and see if he's willing to help your boy out. I'll head back to bed… If I can't sleep, I need to try and rest anyways." Guzma returned his Pokémon, quietly returning to his bed, setting an alarm and hoping for the best…


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome back! I'm busy AF with school, currently past having Christmas Break, but needing to study for another week of tests… Dear Arceus, have mercy. Anyway, time to go further into the story. I hope my chapters are long enough for you guys, but making chapters longer than around a thousand words de-motivates me really quickly.**

Chapter 2: Plans to Action

Guzma's alarm clock beeped loudly, and the male gave a grunt fitting to an angsty teenager. Then again, he did have one of those in Team Skull not so long ago. Guzma shut off his alarm, sitting up straight. Normally, any alarm of any kind would result in Guzma just lying in bed flat like a pancake until he was hungry, but not today. Guzma had something important to do, after all. He dressed himself, not really owning many clothing items besides his track pants, white sneakers and darkly colored hoodies, vests and sweaters. He decided to just go with a black hoodie, not the same one from his Team Skull days. One of the only things he really still had from those days were his custom designed hoodie, now sporting a lazily taped X over the logo on the back. The other thing was his gold necklace, one of his proudest objects. He could not make himself to throw it away, as much as he disliked his past now. He did his fluffy bedhead excuse for a hair neatly for once, using nearly half a jar of gel to keep it that way. He needed to dye it again, he noted. He looked at his gold watch. 10.30 AM.

"Hmm. I oughta make a quick snack and have that on the way." He said to himself as he hurriedly did so, making himself a peanut butter sandwich and eating it as he walked to Hau'Oli in a quick pace. Hala usually didn't leave the island, but he did often wander Melemele, so Guzma hoped to still catch him in Iki Town. After walking all the way down Route 2, he arrived in the bustling city, quickening his pace even more. Guzma did not feel comfortable in the big city, and neither did the people around him as they shot him nasty glares or fearful gazes. Guzma didn't bother returning glares or vicious smirks of victory at anyone, not having the time, energy or motivation to do any of that. He quickly exited the city and walked in Route 1 now, passing Moon's house. He walked up the curvy road to Iki, not stopping to pummel any of the low-level Trainers on the way. Finally, he arrived at Iki.

"There we go. Only took me…" He paused to look at his watch again. "20 minutes. Not bad." He nodded, now relaxing a little as he looked around to see if Hala was to be found anywhere. He strolled up to the Kahuna's house.

"Wow! Hey, Guzma!" Guzma nearly jumped a foot in the air, looking to the left to find the old man's grandson Hau, giving him his signature toothy grin and wave. Guzma smiled back a little. As full of sugar Hau was, he did like him. Despite his Grunts stopping him in his tracks so many times, Hau was always very polite against them. A few days before the mess with Team Rainbow Rocket happened, Hau even encouraged him to make something new of his life! Guzma had a soft spot for him.

"Sup, Hau. 'Ey, I hate to be so straightforward with ya, but I need to speak to your grandfather for a mo'. Where is he?" Guzma asked, noting Hau looking quite surprised.

"Oh, he was checking something out at Melemele Meadow. He texted me, he should be back in about… 5 minutes. Can I know why?" Hau asked, curiously exited. "I-I mean, if it's not too much trouble."

Now it was Guzma's turn to be surprised. He had expected Hau to really drill as much information from him as possible, like any snot-nosed 11-year-old would do. He quickly recovered, though. He trusted Hau, so why not be honest with him? Hau might even feel a bit accomplished.

"Oh, well… Ya heard from Moon or Lillie what went down with Aether, Lusamine and those evil creeps from other dimensions?"

Hau nodded.

"Well, your boy helped Moon just a lil' bit. Since you told me to try somethin' different an' all. After that whole ordeal, I realized I should turn my life around and maybe be successful in a different way then becoming Trial Captain… But I need Hala's help to do it."

Hau squeaked at a pitch Guzma was sure to attract Zubat.

"REALLY? You're gonna do that? See, I KNEW you could do it! Thanks for listening to me, Guzma!" Hau bounced up and down, cheering.

"Easy, kid, I'm not there yet…" Guzma murmured. Hau just made another happy noise, before he looked past Guzma.

"Oh, there he is now, actually! Lucky you!" Hau cheered. Guzma turned around, indeed seeing Kahuna Hala approaching. The shorter, portly old man strangely didn't seem too concerned when he saw Guzma. Guzma, however, really felt uncharacteristically nervous.

"Hello Hau. And hello to you as well, Guzma." Hala said, looking at the both of them.

"Hello, Tutu!" Hau greeted. Guzma couldn't really think of much else, so he just went "Hey." Hala looked at Guzma, the taller but much skinnier male looking quite uncomfortable.

"So… Guzma. What might you be doing here?" Hala asked, raising an eyebrow. Guzma sighed deeply.

"Listen, old m- Kahuna Hala. I… I need help." He said in a defeated tone. Hala's face did not change.

"What kind of help might the hardest guy around need?" Hala said in a somewhat mocking tone.

"I know, I know… I used to be shitty person, no need to rub it in." Guzma clenched his fist and groaned.

"Look, you need to help me become a less shitty person and maybe help me accomplish somethin' along the way. Otherwise, I'll probably be a hobo for the rest of my life or live with my parents. Either one sucks." He looked at Hala's face. A huge smile crept on the elderly Kahuna's mouth.

"You do now? Well, that's quite the challenge there, Guzma! I'd be happy to help!" Hala boomed.

"Wha- really? Just like that?" Guzma frowned.

"Yes. Because I'd like to admit something, Guzma… I should have stepped in a long time ago when you were still a child…" Guzma's eyes widened as Hala confessed, he knew of what happened to him in his past?

" _Dad, no!"_

" _Guzma! What is WRONG with you?"_

"Yes, the situation at your home was terrible… I wanted to help you cope with all that horribleness you had to be put through each and every day of your life. But too late. The very day you gave up your island trial and were mocked by all the adults and children who were pathetic and cruel for Alolan standards… You were gone before I could help you." Hala said. He then extended his hand to Guzma.

"But now, I promise to redeem myself as well! Shall I make a fine trainer out of you yet, Guzma?" Hala offered, now grinning. Guzma smiled back and shook Hala's hand.

"Deal."


	3. Chapter 3

Hala smiled at Guzma, then looked at Hau.

"Boy, I have a question for you. Now that I'm going to train Guzma… Don't you think it'll be wise for you to be the Kahuna for a little while at least?"

Guzma had almost never seen Hau truly scared, but he figured the expression on the young boy's face was very much like his own when Necrozma somehow overpowered his Golisopod and then went to beat him and Lusamine. Dead terrified.

"Wha- Tutu! You can't be s-s-serious!" He stammered in shock.

"I am serious, Hau."

"But… Aren't I way too young for this stuff?" He exclaimed, flailing his arms slightly like a Stufful. Guzma decided to encourage him.

"We got Hapu as the Poni Island Kahuna, your point is?"

Hala grinned at Guzma's comment.

"He's right, you know. Plus, I had a lot more time to train you than Hapu's grandfather did to train her. Plus, it's quite peaceful. No Ultra Beasts invading, no criminal gangs." He slapped Guzma on the back, the taller male rolling his eyes.

"But… I… You think I can do it?" Hau tilted his head curiously, mouth open slightly. Guzma thought he looked kind of adorable. It reminded him of his Wimpod.

" _Wimpod?"_

 _The small Pokémon tilted its head, mouth slightly open in disbelief at his trainer's kind words._

" _Yeah, that's right, Wimpod! I believe in ya! Struggle Bug again!"_

" _Wiiimp… Pod!"_

 _The Fomantis was knocked out! Wimpod just cleared a battle without Ariados or Charjabug helping him!_

" _Yeah! Mess 'em up! You're the best!"_

"That's right, Hau. I truly think you can take over my position for a while. After all… One day, you'll have to take my position permanently." Hala spoke, holding his grandson's hand. Hau sniffled and hugged him.

"I'll… do my best! You-You'll be proud of me!" He blurted out, crying lightly. Hala just hugged his grandson back.

"I've always been proud of you." He said softly. Guzma held back an irritated groan. He felt jealous. Was this what having a good father was like? To think almost every Team Skull member had problems with their parents, causing them to turn to "the bad side". Why couldn't everyone have this? He wouldn't be in such deep shit if he also had this.

" _What the shit, Guz? Why are you ending Team Skull? You can't just dump everyone like this! You're our boy!" Plumeria yelled._

" _Plums, for fuck's sake! I've realized I've only been turning all 'a y'all into shitty people! We terrify people 90% of the time. Our grunts threatened to beat people half to death, which, mind you has happened once or twice or whenever the fuck it happened! You wanna go on like this?"_

" _Guzma! Whether we're criminals or not, you gave all these people a home! Team Skull is a family, and we all care for you!"_

" _And what kind of family sends their kids to a downwards spiral of crime they can't get out of?"_

 _Plumeria looked as if she could murder Guzma after he said that sentence._

" _Arceus damn you! We can just do good stuff for Alola! We don't have to keep doing this shit!"_

 _Guzma sighed._

" _No, Plums. We can't. Not with me influencing everyone."_

 _He began to walk away grimly._

" _Guzma. Guzma! Come back! Please!"_

Guzma frowned. He realized even that decision made him a jerk. Why did he have to be so impulsive sometimes? Hala stood up and grinned at Hau.

"There's a few spare coats in my dresser. Try fitting one. Guzma? Let's be off now, eh?"

Guzma nodded as Hau smiled.

"Good luck, Guzma! Be Alola's boy! Wait, hold on."

Hau cheered and went back into the house with one of his grandfather's coats, it was obviously way too large for him. Guzma smiled.

"Aight. You be a good boy too."

He said as Hala laid his hand on his shoulder.

"Enough standing around. Let's go see Tapu Koko."

"Aight, sounds like a pl-"

He realized what Hala just said, flinched and his eyes widened.

"WHAT?"

Hala laughed loudly.

"Well, you'll need a new Z-Ring. I reckon our guardian might give you a new Sparkling Stone."

He said as if it was the most normal thing ever. Thoughts began racing through Guzma's head, mostly about him being electrocuted or fairy-ed to death.

"Hala, are you CRAZY? Showing off a boss of a criminal gang to Tapu Koko? He's gonna MURDER me!"

"Well, you still have some powerful bugs to defend you. Relax! You'll be fine!"

Guzma looked at Hala as if he had three heads like a Dodrio. He then looked at Hau, who smiled.

"I think you can do it."

He said. Guzma groaned and shook his head.

"You're paying for my funeral, old man."

He mumbled, and Hala just laughed at that. And so, Guzma soon found himself following the Mahalo Trail to the Ruins where Tapu Koko lived. He really wished Hala would come with him, but at the same time… If there was one thing the Guardian liked, it was bravery and recklessness. Plus, it wasn't like the Guardians were perfect… They were arguably just as bad as he was, only saving very few people from danger and most of the time only doing so so they could show off their strength. So, with those thoughts in mind, Guzma entered the Ruins with an angry, determined expression on his face. He approached the small statue on top of the wooden platform, looking it over. Then, he quit slouching and stood up straight, taking a deep breath. Before he could call out to the Guardian, however, he heard its mighty cry.

"KOKOOOOOOOOOOO!"

He noticed small sparks of electricity appearing, and one bright flash later, Tapu Koko was in front of him. It glared at him, pounding its fists together.

"What, you want a fight?" Guzma said, unimpressed. He was only slightly afraid as he glared back at the Melemele Guardian, making eye contact and not moving an inch.

"KOKOOOOOOO!" It screeched again, only charging at him. Guzma dodged.

"Whatever you wish. I gotta teach you pricks a lesson anyway. Go, Vikavolt!"

He sent out his Vikavolt, which looked ready to fight the Guardian. He knew the Electric Terrain would only last 5 turns, but during that time, Koko's Electric attacks would be devastating. Vikavolt was the only one who resisted Electric. Plus, the Choice Specs Guzma had found would make his Pokémons attack hurt quite a bit. Koko looked at the Bug/Electric type, gathering light in its hands before making a spherical projectile and firing it at Vikavolt. Damn! Moonblast hurt… Time for some revenge.

"Vikavolt, use Flash Cannon!" Vikavolt also gathered light between its mandibles, but rather than it being pink, it was grey. It shot a beam at the Guardian, which looked to deal a solid enough amount of damage. Koko just repeated its earlier move, leaving Vikavolt at low health. Guzma came prepared, though.

"Full Restore!" Guzma sprayed his Pokémon with the Full Restore, getting it back to full… Only to notice Koko was charging Nature's Madness, fully glowing in pink light and slamming into Vikavolt, halving its health.

"Fuck!" Guzma thought for a few seconds, Vikavolt could take another Moonblast for sure. Thankfully, he had gotten one that had great Special Defense.

"Flash Cannon, now!" Vikavolt once again nailed Koko with Flash Cannon, but Koko used Moonblast after that and knocked out Vikavolt!

"No! Goddamn critical hits!" Guzma cursed, panicking. The Electric Terrain should last only one other turn, plus, the Guardian had taken a substantial amount of damage. The question was now who the next Pokémon would be. Golisopod and Masquerain were out of the question, the Terrain combined with the Tapu's power would make one Electric attack enough to KO. Pinsir wasn't really specially defensive either… His newly evolved Scizor would have to do.

"Kick his ass, Scizor!"

He sent out the red mantis-like Pokémon, which snapped its pincers, ready for battle. Guzma knew that he could just take one attack from Tapu Koko and strike back with a good Steel-type attack, this time boosted by same-type attack bonus. He noticed the Tapu was already charging its Thunderbolt.

"Scizor, you can do it! Don't faint now!" He encouraged with vigor. The Guardian struck with its mighty Thunderbolt, and Scizor held on with just 1 HP. Excellent!

"Now, Iron Head, and follow up with Bullet Punch! Destroy him!" Scizor nodded and flew to the Tapu before its head glowed. It then head-butted the Tapu, before immediately having its pincers glow as well and repeatedly punch the Tapu like a machine gun. Koko retaliated with one more Thunderbolt, knocking Scizor out.

"Damn!" Guzma noticed the Guardian getting very tired… He smirked.

"Get 'em, homie!" He sent out his Golisopod, equipped with a Life Orb.

"Finish it! First Impression!" Golisopod quickly slammed into Tapu Koko, scoring a critical hit. Even though it wasn't very effective, the crit combined with the extra strength from the Life Orb was enough to put the thing down.

"Tapu…. KOKOOOOO!" It screeched, before disappearing. A second later, it returned, holding a brand new Sparkling Stone for Guzma. It gave the stone and then gestured towards the exit somewhat aggressively.

"Tch. Looks like someone's salty. Too bad." Guzma turned around, returned Golisopod and walked out of Tapu Koko's ruins, a victorious smirk on his face. Tapu Koko was shaking its head in disapproval.

"HE IS… YET TO BE WORTHY… BUT HIS SKILL IS TRUE." It mused with its telepathy, before once again leaving to heal itself.

 **(Sorry it took so long! School was holding me back! But hey, the chapter is longer than usual!)**


	4. Chapter 4

Guzma returned to Iki town, grinning brightly at Hala, his hands in the pockets of his hoodie before getting his right hand out, showing the new Sparkling Stone he had gotten.

"'Sup, Hala? I got Tapu Koko!" He held up said Sparkling Stone. Hala got up from sitting down on the ground, looking at Guzma critically.

"What?" Guzma asked, tilting his head. Did he… do something wrong? The old Kahuna sighed, crossing his arms.

"Guzma, I'm surprised you managed to defeat Tapu Koko… because you honestly shouldn't have, and don't deserve to."

Guzma was shocked at this comment, balling his hands into fists.

"WHAT?" He yelled.

"Why? I beat him, fair and square, right? W-were healing items not allowed? You didn't tell me that! My Pokémon did great!"

Hala nodded, sighing once more.

"Yes, Guzma. Tapu Koko used its telepathy to tell me your skill is something to be reckoned with, that is true. However, you failed to recognized its strength. Recognizing how strong your opponent is is a crucial part to battling with Trainers. You want to know why Moon, despite only being 11, kept defeating you? It's because you failed to recognize her strength after the first time you battled her. You were so focused on trying to make yourself powerful enough to 'crush' her, that you completely forgot about the fact she could get stronger as well."

Hala stayed silent for a moment after saying that, Guzma's somewhat shocked face telling him he needed to let this information sink in. After about a minute, Guzma facepalmed.

"Seriously? That's all I needed? I'm so stupid…" He grunted, before pulling his hair.

"GUZMA! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" He yelled, before Hala laid his hand on his shoulder.

"Now, now. Don't beat yourself up over it. You can learn from mistakes. Like I said, your skill is definitely something. And I don't blame you for wanting to crush your opponents… You were raised by someone who always did the same to **you.** "

" _Guzma, you piece of shit! How could you lose_ _ **again?"**_

" _Dad… I didn't mean to…"_

" _You'll never amount to anything at this rate, boy! What is wrong with you, Guzma?!"_

Guzma grunted again, now crossing his arms. Hala patted his shoulder, gently taking the Sparkling Stone again.

"Guzma… Do you think you would be able to give yourself and the Island Challenge a second try?"

Guzma looked at Hala, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Hala, please… You know how I feel about that. Trainers who fail it become worthless in the eyes of Alola. If Moon wasn't so damn talented, she would've probably been kicked outta her house and on her way to Po Town. Even if I do it and beat the Island Challenge, it'll just stay the same, right?"

Hala shook his head, smiling at Guzma.

"Well, actually, it CAN change. Everyone who beat it had the victory go to their head, and our first Pokémon League Champion, Moon, is mute, the poor thing." Hala said, then continued:

"But I could tell she wanted it to be changed, and besides her being mute, she's afraid no one will take her seriously because of her being so young. But if YOU, an adult who worked from bottom to arrive at the top, became the new Champion… YOU could change anything you'd want, YOU would finally drill the fact that losing the Island Challenge doesn't make a loser into everyone's"- Hala paused and grinned- "Skull."

Guzma laughed at Hala's joke, looking at the Kahuna. He smiled and nodded.

"Aight. Imma give it another go… Wait! Ain't all the captains and their Pokémon way underleveled?"

"No, they're not. We have recently imported a device from Hoenn that can limit Pokémon to a certain level, and placed one at every Totem's Den. If we were to turn it off, the Totem Pokémon might provide a challenge after all!"

"Huh. Neat. Aight, I'm in." Guzma decided, Hala smiled.

"Excellent choice, my boy! I'll just have to make the Sparkling Stone into a new Z-Ring for you. In the meantime… Do whatever you'd like. It'll take about 2 hours. Be back at Iki by then."

"Right."

A few moments later, after Guzma had healed his team up with an assortment of items, the two parted ways. He sighed and walked to his parents' house on Route 2. He looked at the house, a forlorn smile on his face. Why did he abandon his grunts? And most importantly… Why did he abandon… **her?**

" _Ah! Go away, go away, go away!" A little girl with blonde hair was running around wildly, failing her arms. While it looked cute, in reality, she was fleeing for her life. After missing a Poké Ball throw on a female Salandit, she had angered a small troop of male Salandit that were already serving as her harem servants, now giving chase with the female in the back. Spitting small but dangerous flames at the little girl, she was backed up against a wall._

" _Someone, please, HELP ME!" She screamed._

" _Surskit, use Bubble!" Each of the Salandit had small bubbles being shot at them, the Water-Type attack doing great damage despite not being all that powerful. Most of the males were about to retreat, and the female especially looked to be damaged: was it a critical hit? The girl saw her chance._

" _Go, Ultra Ball!" She called and this time, she hit a bullseye on the female! The males turned around, but another wave of bubbles sent them on the run while the Ultra Ball clicked._

" _Yes! I did it!" She picked up the small ball, hugging it close before turning to see who had come to her rescue. A boy with black hair, who looked about a year older than she was._

" _Hey, congrats!" He clapped, smiling._

" _Thank you for rescuing me…" She blushed and looked at her feet, her arms behind her back. She dared to risk a look at his Surskit, who also blushed from the praise… or did she have that blush permanently?_

" _Never caught a Pokémon before?" The boy asked, stepping closer and causing the girl to back away due to shyness. Looks like she had quite the crush on him!_

" _Dang it…. I thought all boys were gross!" The girl thought, before finally looking the boy in the eyes._

" _Y-yeah… You look to be experienced, though."_

" _Actually, I'm not! Surskit is only my second. My school is on a trip again, and last time I was on this island, I caught this little cutie! Wimpy, you can come out now…"_

 _From out of the boy's hood crawled a small, cute insect that looked at her fearfully._

" _Aww! A Wimpod! Those are quite rare, you know! Don't be afraid, little guy! Here, meet my first Pokémon!" She sent out her new Salandit, and strangely enough, the easily frightened Wimpod jumped down and walked up to the Salandit, the Surskit following him. Though the Salandit seemed a little grumpy at first, she soon began playing with the two Bug types._

 _The girl giggled, then looked at the boy, stepping closer._

" _What's your name?" She asked, still slightly red at her cheeks. The boy smiled._

" _My name's Guzma! What's yours?"_

" _I-I'm Plumeria…. It's really good to meet you. My mom keeps thinking I'm not fitting to raise a Pokémon… She thinks that I'm worthless…" She murmured, before gasping. Why had she shared this personal information with him?_

" _Ah! I'm s-sorry! Please forget what I said!_

 _However, Guzma stepped closer and hugged her!_

" _My dad hates my guts too… Thinks everythin' I do is a disappointment. So we're both on the same boat…"_

 _Plumeria sniffled and cried for about a minute, and to her surprise, Guzma didn't act like a tough guy and cried along with her._

" _Do you have a cell phone?" Guzma whispered._

" _Surprisingly, yeah… Let's stay in touch, okay? I'll write my number down for ya."_

Guzma sighed as he finished packing up his most personal stuff, including most of his old Team Skull stuff. He picked up a photo album and looked through it, seeing various pictures of his grunts. He remembered that, when it was his birthday, he was woken up by a chorus of kazoos that played the battle theme he made for himself via his laptop.

" _Happy birthday, boss!"_

 _Guzma sniffed, smiling._

" _Y'all are stupid…"_

He also picked up the necklace, and while it looked to be gold, it was the same metal for the grunts. Just painted gold. He stuffed it in his bag, deciding not to wear it. Lastly, he picked two framed pictures he had hidden in a secret compartment of his drawer. The first picture had all the Grunts doing the Skull Pose, wearing elf hats rather than Skull Beanies. Oh yeah, the Christmas album! The second picture was also from the Christmas album, which somehow looked even more goofy than the previous one. If this photo was leaked, no one would fear him.

It was him in his outfit, wearing a Santa hat and holding Plumeria, who also wore a Santa hat. Gladion, who just wore his usual outfit and looked grumpy, was also on the photo. Guzma's Golisopod was wearing a red nose and antlers, and Plumeria's Salazzle did the same! Gladion's Type: Null wasn't dressed up, the artificially made Pokémon also standing in an awkward position.

"My boys and my girls… Imma come back for you, y'all will see!" Guzma said to himself before putting both photos in his bag and began walking back to Iki town… While he was on Route 1, he walked past Moon's house again. And just when he did, the girl came out of her house. She saw Guzma, and Guzma could hear a small gasp.

He turned around and smiled at her.

"Hey, punk. How's it going?"

Moon looked at him, tilting her head and quirking an eyebrow.

"If you wanna talk, I know sign language." Guzma said, he had learned it because a few Grunts had gone deaf.

"What are you doing?" Moon signed, and Guzma took a few seconds to figure that out.

"Remember what Malasada Boy- I mean Hau said to me? I took his advice. I'm goin' training with Kahuna Hala."

Moon smiled, clapping and hugging him.

"Huh? You okay, kid?" Guzma flinched. He hadn't expected that. The door opened again and Moon's mother came through the door.

"Ah… You must be that Guzma fellow. Moon told me a lot about you." She said, also smiling.

"What's goin' on with her? All I said was that I would train with Hala." Guzma asked, totally befuddled. Moon quit her hug.

"Moon here has told me many times that she really wished for you to get a chance to shine! And I know she likes the fact that you're going to be off to better yourself… That means she might get a chance to battle you again. But not against an enemy out to crush her, just a normal challenger who's ready to show what he's got." She explained, and Moon nodded, giving him a thumbs up.

Guzma smirked, and kneeled down.

"Aight, that explains it. Ya better watch out, Moon… Your boy's coming for ya! I'll cru- I mean, I'll do my best!"

Guzma stated, and Moon giggled.

"Now, I gotta go. You better not bring Stealth Rock to our battle!" Guzma pointed his finger at her, smiling and stood up to be off to Iki Town, waving at Moon and her mother. He arrived at Hala's house, giving a knock at the door.

"Ah, Guzma! Just in time!" Hala had opened the door after a minute, showing him a new Z-Ring.

"Are you ready to show Alola self-improvement in human form?"

Guzma laughed again and equipped the Z-Ring, cracking his neck.

"You bet, Hala. I'm more ready than I've ever been!"

Hala nodded.

"Good. Then we're on our way to Ilima's place… To Verdant Cavern!"

And so, Guzma and Hala went on their way, Guzma wondering what would await him next…

 **(Bam! 2000 words, baby!)**


End file.
